Executive Summary
The 2022 Ministerial Declaration of the UN Economic and Social Council and High-Level Political Forum reaffirms global commitment to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development amid ongoing crises, including COVID-19, climate change, and rising inequalities. The declaration highlights setbacks in poverty reduction, food security, education, gender equality, and environmental protection, calling for urgent, inclusive, and resilient recovery strategies. Key priorities include equitable access to vaccines, strengthened health systems, gender-responsive policies, climate action aligned with the Paris Agreement, sustainable management of natural resources, and revitalized global partnerships and financing. The declaration urges enhanced international cooperation, multilateralism, and support for vulnerable countries, emphasizing the need for transformative action, data-driven policies, and inclusive participation to ensure no one is left behind and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Characteristics
- Strong reaffirmation of commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, emphasizing the need for accelerated, inclusive, and resilient recovery from COVID-19, with a focus on leaving no one behind and addressing poverty, inequality, and vulnerability.
- Emphasis on multilateralism, international cooperation, and solidarity as essential for overcoming global challenges, including pandemics, climate change, biodiversity loss, and economic instability.
- Recognition of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups and countries, and the urgent need for equitable access to vaccines, health technologies, and support for health systems, especially in developing nations.
- In-depth review and renewed commitments to SDGs 4 (education), 5 (gender equality), 14 (oceans), 15 (terrestrial ecosystems), and 17 (means of implementation), with specific actions to address setbacks caused by the pandemic and other crises.
- Strong focus on climate action, including full implementation of the Paris Agreement, scaling up climate finance, supporting just transitions, and integrating nature-based solutions for biodiversity, land, and ocean conservation.
- Calls for strengthening global partnerships, mobilizing resources (including ODA and innovative finance), supporting data and statistical capacity, and ensuring inclusive participation of all stakeholders, including youth, women, local authorities, and civil society, in SDG implementation and review.
Actors
Civil Society Actors
Economic Actors
Political Actors
Research and Innovation Actors
Practical Applications
- The Quadripartite Partnership for One Health, composed of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is actively implementing the One Health approach to strengthen synergies between the health of people, animals, plants, and ecosystems.
- The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and its COVAX Facility, as well as the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), are operational initiatives supporting the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
- The Group of 20 and Paris Club Debt Service Suspension Initiative is being implemented to provide debt relief to eligible countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative is being implemented to support highly indebted developing countries.
- The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is underway, promoting marine scientific research, capacity-building, and voluntary technology transfer to developing countries.
- The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 is being implemented to promote ecosystem conservation and restoration globally.
- The United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030 and its global forest goals are being implemented, with the United Nations Forum on Forests promoting sustainable management and conservation of forests.
- The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, reached at the Twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, is being implemented to address harmful fisheries subsidies and support sustainable fishing practices.
- The United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/14 has established an intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
- The United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub, hosted by FAO in Rome, is operational and supporting governments to develop and strengthen SDG-based national pathways for sustainable food systems transformation.
- The Global Education Cooperation Mechanism and the SDG 4-Education 2030 High-level Steering Committee are active in strengthening global cooperation in education.
- The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, launched by the UN Secretary-General and the International Labour Organization (ILO), is being implemented to create decent work and strengthen social protection systems.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resilience and Sustainability Trust is being operationalized to provide affordable long-term financing to low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries.
- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has adopted the "Bridgetown Covenant" as an outcome document to guide its work.
- The African Continental Free Trade Area has commenced trading under its agreement as of January 1, 2021, to strengthen intra-African trade and resilience.
- The United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, is scheduled for 2023 to review and accelerate progress on water-related goals.
- The United Nations Environment Assembly at its resumed fifth session has established a science-policy panel to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution.
- The United Nations Food Systems Summit (2021) and its follow-up mechanisms, including national pathways and coalitions of action, are being implemented to transform food systems.
- The United Nations Youth Strategy (Youth2030) is being implemented system-wide to engage and support youth participation in sustainable development.
- The Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024 is being implemented, with a third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries scheduled for 2024.
- The SAMOA Pathway for Small Island Developing States is being implemented, with a fourth United Nations conference on SIDS scheduled for 2024.
- The Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries is being implemented, with a second part of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries scheduled for 2023.
- The United Nations 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns has been extended to 2030, with ongoing development of a new Global Strategy on Sustainable Consumption and Production.
Resulting Commitments
- Developed countries are urged to scale up and fulfil their ODA commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) for official development assistance (ODA/GNI) and 0.15 to 0.20% of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries.
- Developed countries are urged to fully deliver on the USD 100 billion per year climate finance goal urgently and through to 2025.
- Developed countries are urged to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025.
- All countries are encouraged to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 45% by 2030 relative to the 2010 level and to net zero around mid-century.
- All countries are encouraged to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022.
- More than 100 Member States have made voluntary commitments to ensure that at least 30% globally of land and of the ocean are protected or conserved within protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures by 2030.
- By 2030, reduce to less than 3% the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5%.
- Parties are called upon to accelerate global connectivity for all by 2030.
- The intergovernmental negotiating committee is to complete its work on an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by the end of 2024.
- The third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) will be held in 2024 to review the Vienna Programme of Action for the Decade 2014–2024 and adopt a renewed framework.
- The fourth United Nations conference on small island developing States (SIDS) will be held in 2024.
- All countries are encouraged to participate in the September 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit at the highest possible level.
Technical Details
Scope
Global
Lead Country
United States (USA)
Policy & Strategic Alignment
EU Policy Alignment
SDG Alignment
Beneficiary Groups
Indigenous Communities
Indigenous Peoples & Ethnic Groups
Children
Students & Youth
Youth
Students & Youth
Women in Tech
Women & Girls
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Adaptation Climate Finance Doubling
Developed countries
Climate Finance
Annual Climate Finance Mobilization
Developed countries
Climate Finance
Balanced Climate Finance for Adaptation and Mitigation
All countries, especially developed countries
Climate Finance
Digital Inclusion and Literacy in Education
National Governments, Education Ministries
Education/Digital Inclusion
Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls
National Governments, UN agencies
Gender Equality
Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reduction
All UN Member States
Climate Change
National Roadmaps for Voluntary National Reviews
National Governments
Governance/SDG Implementation
Official Development Assistance as Percentage of GNI
Developed countries
Development Finance
Protected Areas Coverage
Participating Member States
Biodiversity/Conservation
Youth Inclusion in Policy and Programme Development
National Governments, UN agencies
Youth/Employment/Education